Sevalaya alumni organised the 77th Republic Day Celebrations at its Kasuva Centre, near Thiruninravur, Tiruvallur. The annual blood donation camp and a farewell programme for Std XII students also took place.
A V Ragunath, a US based philanthropist and Trustee – Nerur Sadasiva Brammendra Trust, Karur graced the occasion as the Chief Guest along with D Surya, Sevalaya alumnus and Typist at Secretariat, Government of Tamil Nadu. As the Chief Guest unfurled the national flag, everyone paid their respects to the flag.
School students and alumni presented engaging cultural performances. Addressing the students, the Chief Guest, A V Ragunath said, “You should start your day with a prayer. It was heartening to hear the “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” and “Vande Mataram” slogans today.” “We wish everyone a happy and prosperous life- to live such a life, we need education and knowledge. Thiruvalluvar says “Arivudaiyaar Ellaam Udaiyaar”. If you gain knowledge, you will gain everything in life. To succeed in life, as students you also need to read Bharathiyar’s poetry. He says “Enniya Mudithal Vendum, Nallave Ennal Vendum”. Every one of you should aim to become a great person by reading the works of Bharathiyar, Thiruvalluvar and Swami Vivekananda”, he concluded. The Chief Guest presented silver coins to Sevalaya employees who completed their work anniversaries in the month of January.
Alumnus Surya in his speech said, “I express my gratitude to Sevalaya for giving me this opportunity to be the guest here today. I am standing here today as a successful person because of Sevalaya and my higher education sponsor LatentView.”. He addressed the students and said, “We all tend to make some mistakes when we go for our higher studies. To avoid such mistakes, you should first decide the field in which you want to build your career. Once you fix your goal, it will be easy for you to work towards it.Our school organises various career guidance sessions- do attend these sessions which will help decide the right career path for you”.
The Chief Guests inaugurated the blood donation camp. Organised by the Sevalaya Alumni Association -‘Aalam Vizhuthugal’, the annual camp, taking place since 2012 has benefited thousands. Around 75 people participated in the camp and donated blood. A farewell event for the 164 students completing Std XII this year also took place. Alumni students presented a pen and a card containing an inspirational quote to the students. Sevalaya’s Founder and Managing Trustee, V Muralidharan, Honorary Correspondent Bhuvaneswari Muralidharan, Trustee N Annapurna, Head- Education R Vijaya and alumnus Surya interacted with the students and wished them all success in their future. Students shared their fond memories of Sevalaya during the event.
Earlier, Muralidharan in his speech wished everyone a Happy Republic Day and highlighted various activities of Sevalaya. He also shared that Sevalaya has received 103 awards so far and that in the past month Sevalaya has been felicitated in various forums in Bengaluru, Kumbakonam, Chennai, Tiruvallur and Dharmapuri. He concluded by saying that Sevalaya has spread to 60 centres in South India and continues to serve various beneficiaries.
The celebrations and all the arrangements for the event were done by the alumni students, who had arrived a day early. The best class award was given to Std X-E. Alumni students Vaishnavi, Abinesh, Udayakumar and Priyanka presented the event. A memento was presented to the Chief Guest. Abinesh, Sevalaya alumnus, delivered the Vote of Thanks. The event concluded with the singing of the national anthem.
Republic day was also celebrated across Sevalaya centres in Tiruvallur, The Nilgiris, Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram, Tenkasi, Ambattur (Chennai) and Thanjavur. Sevalaya’s V T Shanthi Memorial Senior Citizens’ Home in Dharmapuri was presented the Best Old Age Home award by the District Collector at the Republic Day Event in Dharmapuri. Sevalaya student Bhagath who won the silver medal in the CM trophy Basketball competition was honoured by the Tiruvallur District Collector during the Republic Day celebrations in Tiruvallur. Bhagath had earlier donated his prize money of ₹50,000 to Sevalaya.
